Chopin

Chopin Scherzo in b flat minor, Opus 31

Chopin begins begins with a quiet b flat octave, connected to a triplet motive which sounds twice - small waves - then SILENCE for five counts. Even within this little triplet motive Chopin inserts one beat of silence.

Then the sudden, shockingly loud double forte b flat octave, this time with the lower octave added, followed by the wonderous crashing chords. The sonorous chords followed by silence. Always in this piece followed by silence. To lift the pedal, brave to seek the silence, to allow the silence, the sounds ringing still, into other realms - it is like shouting into a canyon - the immensity of that silence - then back to the little quiet triplet motive.

There is not a feeling of question and answer or dialogue between these soft and loud passages alternating, between the quiet, wavelike motion of the triplet motive and the crashing octaves and chords - no, it is more as though we have opened or closed a door and are standing in another room - as though a door keeps opening and closing - not into another realm, as in some of his later works, no, more a door to a different place within -

The silence the inner silence, in this piece by Chopin we can see the notes, sounds superimposed upon the silence - here Chopin gives us a glimpse, glimpses into that silence of our own Soul -

Yes, it is like a shout into a canyon - the immensity of that silence, as though peering into ourselves, the Soul and its immensity ....

And in this Scherzo by Chopin, how many will notice that near the end, in its last statement, the final note of the little triplet motive, the "f" will hold for two full measures - this time no silence into the
crashing octave and following chords - as though this little motive now, at the end, after so much has been said and experienced, as though this little wave-like motive now knows it will be followed by the crashing octave and chord - and somehow wishes to connect with them - whereas each previous time this little triplet motive was like a little island of sound surrounded by silence. Or is it just that the little motive has walked closer to the door, knows how to open it ...

Chopin, the artist, the composer - this one small, subtle change - emotionally will change the entire remaining pages of the score. To hold the last note of the motive ... in Chopin, even if the entire piece were to repeat, as can happen in the Mazurkas for instance, the repetition, the repeat is never the same - even if every note were identical to the initial statement. He is not like Mozart, Mozart who could repeat entire sections and remain emotionally untouched, restate themes with the same innocence as when he began - no, in Chopin once we have lived the notes, the themes, the melodies - the words behind the sounds - it can never be the same again - no, not even this little 7 note motive ...

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